Information & FAQs for ticket bookers

Which shows have you cancelled?

We have cancelled TBTL performances from Monday 16 March through to 31 October, including our full summer season, and our visiting work programme until September. We would really love to reschedule our Spring show Malory Towers at some point in the future so we are currently trying to see if this will be possible to arrange. Our Christmas show of The Borrowers has not been cancelled and is still on sale.

The 2020 Beer Festival has also been cancelled.

I have tickets booked in the cancellation period; what are my options, and what should I do?

If you have tickets for a performance which has been cancelled, there are three options: you can choose to donate your tickets back to the theatre, receive credit for a future show or you can request a refund.

Beer Festival bookers can also choose to transfer their booking to 2021; the festival dates are Friday 4th and Saturday 5th June 2021

We are asking our audiences, wherever possible, to please consider donating their tickets if they feel able to do so, or if this is not possible for you, then to opt for credit. With the majority of our income cut off for the foreseeable future, this support from our audiences will be crucial to us surviving this period, ensuring we can continue to both make work which delights our audiences, and provide a creative hub for our community. We are hugely grateful to the audience members who have already chosen to do this.

Once you've decided which option you'd like, please email enquiries@theatrebythelake.com. For those who are happy to donate their tickets, we would be very grateful if you could let us know if you are eligible for Gift Aid, as for every £1 you donate, we can claim an extra 25p (at no extra cost to you) which makes your donation worth even more to us. To be eligible for Gift Aid you will need to pay the same amount, or more, in income tax or capital gains tax in the same tax year as the donation. Simply state ‘yes I can gift aid my donation' in your email. Thank you.

I have tickets booked during the cancellation period; why haven't I heard from the theatre?

As each cancellation decision was made, we got in touch with all bookers for whom we had an email address to notify them of the cancellation and to let them know their options. Our Box Office team also began to ring all affected customers to process their chosen option. However, since 21 March our building has been completely closed, with our whole Box Office team furloughed and a skeleton management team working from home. When the Box Office team are back we will resume contacting all bookers affected; please bear with us as this will take a significant amount of time given we have well over a thousand orders to process. Please rest assured: anyone who has booked a ticket for an event during our cancellation period will be contacted by the theatre. Thank you very much for your patience.

Given that 90% of the TBTL workforce is currently furloughed under the Government's Job Retention scheme and our building is closed, it is not possible to undertake this mammoth task as yet. If you have emailed the enquiries@theatrebythelake.com email address, your request will have been logged for our Box Office to process on their return in mid June. A member of the Box Office team will be in touch when processing your request.

When will I get my refund or my credit/donation processed?

Thank you so much for your patience and for bearing with us during this time. As you'll be aware, we've been unable to access our building due to lockdown, and the majority of our staff have been on furlough leave.

However, from mid June through to late July, with the appropriate safety precautions in place, we are bringing back a small Box Office team to our building to specifically focus on the mammoth task of dealing with current ticket holders' orders.

If you have requested a refund, you can expect to receive contact from a member of the Theatre by the Lake team. If you have requested credit, or to donate your tickets, the Box Office will confirm with you via email when this has been actioned.

Please note that we have over 2000 orders to get through, so this will be a long process. Please also note that the building will remain closed to the public whilst this takes place. Thank you again, very much, for your patience.

If you've not yet been in touch with TBTL, please email enquiries@theatrebythelake.com with your ticket preference (credit for a future show, a refund, or donate/part donate tickets back to the theatre; we are asking wherever possible for people to consider this latter option if they feel able to).

I have gift vouchers which will be expiring this year; will I get an extension?

Yes; we are very happy to offer a year's extension for gift vouchers, purchased in 2018 – 2020, given the circumstances.

As ever, we are so grateful to our audiences for their support during this time which we realise is difficult for everyone. Thank you again for your patience and for bearing with us. We will keep you updated as soon as we know more. In the meantime, please stay safe and well and we look forward hugely to welcoming you back.

Stay updated

Press room

Letter from Artistic Director Liz Stevenson

Contact us

Many ways to get in touch

By phone
To book tickets or for performance related info call our Box Office on 017687 74411 - open from 9.30am until 7.30pm (or 6pm on non-performance nights) Monday to Saturday, and from 11am to 7.30pm (or 6pm on non-performance nights) on Sundays. For our administration office call 017687 72282.

By Post
Write to us at: Theatre by the Lake, Lakeside, Keswick CA12 5DJ.

In person
Located on the ground floor, our Box Office is open from 9.30am until 7.30pm (or 6pm on non-performance nights) Monday to Saturday, and from 11am to 7.30pm (or 6pm on non-performance nights) on Sundays.